Texas Ranch House . Meet the Adventurers . Vienna Cooke


		"My dad is in the worst position of all of us. He's really doing the best he can and I think he's doing a really good job."


			Texas Ranch House sexists be warned.


			Vienna describes discovering newborn goats.

Vienna is the oldest of the Cooke daughters and the most reserved. But underneath that shy exterior lies a young woman who is passionate about the piano, cheerleading, softball, singing, and leading her church youth group. She is in her second year of college, studying to become an accountant like her father. To earn pocket money, Vienna works part-time at the local library. A profound experience for Vienna was a trip she took with her church youth group to Mexico last summer. "We built houses for the poor," she says. "It really made me appreciate how lucky I am."

"My dad is in the worst position of all of us. I think he's having the hardest time, because we all look to him to make the decisions and to get things done. It's just so much pressure. He's really doing the best he can and I think he's doing a really good job. I think it's been a learning experience for him."

Vienna is the eldest daughter of the Cooke family. She is a well-mannered young lady of society who has traveled with her parents and sisters to a new ranch in frontier Texas. Her comfortable lifestyle in San Francisco is gone; her family's future hinges on their ability to pull together and build a new life on the cattle range. Vienna's mother counts on her to assist her endeavors and looks to Vienna and her sisters to help support the family. Every child on the ranch should learn that in their mother's home, her will is supreme. Vienna's main objective is to help create a happy home and community on the frontier. She is building a new life and is expected to work hard and contribute to the support of her family. She should also provide a strong example of womanhood to her younger sisters.

It is expected that the women of the house will share the burden of kitchen duties. These include preparing and cooking meals for the family, maintaining the safety of the food supply, and cleaning. The women must also complete the laundry, ironing, bathing, and baking. They are expected to water, maintain, and harvest the plants in the garden. They are also responsible for keeping these plants safe from rodents or other predators. The daughters must care for and feed the domestic animals housed near the ranch headquarters. The "milch cow" and chickens will be entirely dependent on their care. She must know how to "sew plain" and mend and possibly even make her own clothes. As a well-bred young lady, she may also choose to give any cast-off items to her younger sisters.